Luna's Rebellion
by AcousticSlide
Summary: Silver Wish is a filly of the State, a pawn and citizen that is made to follow the rules. Assigned a research project to bring her sinking grade up, she is assigned to write about the rebellion lead by their great leader, President Luna. But while finding sources for her project, she uncovers the horrible truth of the origins of the State, and the one ruling it.
1. Prologue: State of the Moon

15,000 years ago (year x456x), former ruler of what once was the peaceful Equestrian Nation, Celestia, allied with the neighboring Griffin Kingdom, who was ruled by King Lionhart Ferdinand III. The two countries formed and became the Nation of Equality, which was co-ruled by Celestia and King Lionhart. Celestia's co-ruler of former Equestria, Luna, was opposed to this, and was promptly left out out of the ruling of the Nation. Luna was moved out of the Canterlot castle and thrown out of the Royal ranks. Luna, who then was cast out, found refuge with the rejected soldiers that Celestia had thrown out of the previous Royal Guard.

Celestia had thrown out almost 30,000 soldiers from their platoons, stripping them of their ranks and social status. They then helped house former Princess of the Night, and began to plot an overthrow to bring back the power to the ponies and Griffins of the now Nation.

Celestia, however, had plans of her own, as well. She overthrew King Lionhart. Celestia successfully drove out all Griffins from the Nation with her new and improved army of the Nation, leaving twice the land for all of the ponies of the Nation.

Princess Celestia now changed her title to Queen Celestia of the Nation, and she began to rule the Nation on her own, plunging the Nation of Equality into a state of poverty unimaginable. The average income of a low-class citizen was about 7 bits per day, which totals out to 49 bits per week. The average yearly salary was around fifty five percent as low as today's yearly salary for middle class. Celestia, however, lounged in luxury and riches while her people suffered.

Ponies tried to start their own militia pockets, but the Queen quickly ended them by slaughtering them. In five years, she put to death almost 3,000,000 ponies, both earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns.

Luna, meanwhile, rallied the ponies of the Nation and attacked the headquarters of Queen Celestia, taking her prisoner. They tried her for her crimes, and sentenced her to death. Luna was then crowned Queen, but she changed it to President Luna, and started the State of Mėnulis (Tran. From Lithuanian: Moon) which was a Communistic society and Economic State.

President Luna then made changes to the job market, raising job offers and minimum wages almost 89% in the first three years of ruling.

The State of Mėnulis is continuing to thrive and flourish, even reaching out to help the now impoverished Griffin Tribes outside of the State's and the Camaloo Democracy's borders.

The State of Mėnulis is officially 19,000 years old on July 19th, x3048x.


	2. Foals of the State

The bell chimed and ricocheted off the walls of the surrounding buildings and faltered off after a few seconds of echoing. The ponies in the classroom kept their eyes from darting to view what was outside the window. There had never been so many police cars outside before, and the flashing red and blue lights reflected off the white and gray steel buildings around them.

The silver filly had taken the most notice to the loud noises and flashing lights. The ponies in blue uniforms and black visors had come and taken the nice teacher. They had big sticks on their hips, and they had made a loud noise when they pointed them at the nice teacher. The teacher had tried to run, but she fell down when the sticks had made a loud noise.

She didn't get up. None of the foals in the classroom dared to make a move. The ponies in blue had turned to them and smiled. He had said that they were getting a new teacher and that the old one was not following the rules. The foals in the class still did not move, their imitation of statues only in fault with them breathing. The pony in blue had said that the old teacher would be taken to a big place where bad ponies go, and that it was for the best.

None of the foals argued. They knew better. The pony in blue smiled and walked away with the other ponies and the nice old teacher who seemed to be sleeping. The silver filly had liked the teacher. She was an older mare, and she liked to give hugs and gifts to her students. She was an old earth pony, and she had smelled tart and somewhat fruity. The old teacher always smiled at the silver filly and always said hello and goodbye to her when she came and left.

She was going to miss the old teacher. Not soon after, a new pony came in. A mare; she was very young and a very alarming shade of yellow. She had bright blue eyes and a cheery pink mane. Her rump was graced with a heart surrounded by flowers and her trot was lively and brisk.

She had kindness in her eyes, but it had a forced feel to it, and the silver filly didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit. The teacher smiled once more and introduced herself. She said that she was from the State, and that she was there to teach them many new and wonderful things. The filly perked up at this; she loved to learn fantastical things, and she loved discovering them even more. The teacher said that as a polite hello, she was going to give them a gift.

All of the young ponies began to chatter excitedly, the room suddenly taking a lighter tone. The teacher pulled a box out of her white saddle bag and set a box down. No sooner than said, she had passed out brightly wrapped pieces of candy, and the little colts and fillies of the state happily munched away at the chocolate covered candies.

The silver filly paused in mid-chew. The candy was good, but did she like this new teacher? Did she like that the old teacher was gone?

Deciding to think nothing of it anymore, she happily munched her candy, not bothering to wipe the chocolate off of her face.


	3. Mondays

Silver Wish hated Mondays.

Mondays meant work and a day at the desk, answering to annoying customers and hearing the drawling professor for hours on end. Mondays meant no more parties until the _next _weekend. She flipped her white hair away from her eyes in one swift motion. She yawned, her pink mouth opening wide and her orange tongue lolling lazily out of her mouth.

Professor Potts barked her name in his gruff, loud voice. Silver Wish squeaked and closed her mouth with a taut snap. "Am I boring you?" he said in a satirical tone, his fake apology making Silver Wish sink lower in her seat. She wished she could melt away from the class' judgmental gazes.

"Well?" the gray professor jutted out his lower jaw, attempting to hide his wrinkles and seem more threatening. Silver Wish had no idea how menacing Professor Potts could look; if this was his most terrifying state, she couldn't imagine how horrifying he could look when he was _really _pissed off.

She looked down at her hooves. "Um, no sir," she said quietly. "Just really tired," she averted her blue gaze from his pink gaze. She flattened her ears against her skull and tried to block the murmur and whispers of her peers.

Silver Wish had wondered why she had to take Psych. She didn't see how that applied to her career choice of a State Temp, but she begrudgingly took the class anyways, despite the long hours of sitting in a stool and taking notes continuously on a sheet of lined paper. If fulfilling her life long dream meant one semester of stupid classes, then so be it.

Potts continued to drawl in his monotonous voice as he occasionally flipped through the textbook (that was handed out at the beginning of the semester) that read _The Social & Psychological Studies of the State._

She let out a puff of air and flipped through her own copy of the textbook, paging through the table of contents until a page that consisted of large black letters. _Attention: This textbook is property of the University of Canterlot Central and of the State of __Mėnulis.__ Distribution or copying of this book without authoritative permission will be punishable by a fine no less that 6,000 bits and no greater than 10,000 bits as well as revoked license of stay. _Silver Wish sighed and continued to flip through the book, her eyes scanning the page for something interesting.

Pages upon pages of tiny black text shifted down and all over the page like birds in a flock. She tapped the top of the page gently with her hoof, and the title of: _The Continuing Study of Rebel Mindset and Psychological State._ Hello, she thought, her ears perking up. She tapped the title, and the page flew open to an array of old newspaper scans and text that slowly scrolled down the page.

_Studies of the lesser type of ponies which are commonly known as "Rebels" are being continuously studied and tested on in the Royal Canterlot Laboratory by top physicians. Many of these "Rebels" are unruly and provocative, and they stay in groups called Troops. Troops: noun and/or adj. A group of rebellious delinquents and criminals that plot against the well-being of the state. Adj: A word to describe a disobedient or loud/obstreperous group of ponies. _"Miss Wish!" Potts' voice cut through her moment of reading, and she shot her head up so as to face the fuming Professor that was glaring up at her. She ducked her head.

"What. Are. You Doing?" he spat out each word like it was bile in his mouth, spittle flying all over the protesting students in the unfortunate first row. She looked down from her elevated seating and pursed her pale lips.

"I was reading my textbook," she said. "Sir," she added, her blue eyes darting back and forth between him and her desk. He frowned and tilted his chin in the air, his pink eyes glaring at her behind his spectacles. She felt her face go hot as the students around her snickered once more. This was too much embarrassment for one day.

He finally sniffed and said very slowly: "No more interruptions or I'm writing you up," he warned, his head sinking back to the first row's eye level. She nodded quickly and shut her textbook with a _snap_.

–-

She was glad class was over; another few minutes in the stuffy room would have driven even the most studious pony insane. She clipped her saddlebag shut and trotted down the classroom stairs. Professor Potts was at his desk, scribbling down something on a piece of notebook paper, his eyes darting from the new feed screen to the paper.

It had taken Silver Wish longer than expected to pack up her books and notes; the occasional bump on the shoulder and maybe a kick that sent her textbook flying to the floor had hampered her usual early leave out the door. She was the last student in the classroom, just her and Potts and the class board that had the State's emblem rotating on it like it was in a never ending microwave.

"Silver Wish," Potts called softly before she made her way out the door. She inwardly groaned and slowly trotted over to Potts' desk. Her steps echoing throughout the empty classroom. She halted before she ran into the desk, not daring to meet his eyes.

Potts sighed and leaned forward, his rose eyes looking up at her. His gaze was laced with annoyance and exasperation. The large, wide windows on the wall behind him let in a back light that shaded his gray face even more. It made him look older and even more grumpy than he already was. "You're not the only one who dislikes my class, you know," he sighed.

Silver looked down and bit the inside of her cheek. "Now, why I called you over here," he picked up the paper he had been writing on, holding out to her. She took it from him and opened it. The paper had numbers listed next to past assignments. Assignments she had missed. Silver felt her jaw jut out slightly as she closed her eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Your marks aren't as good as they should be, Silver," Potts said slowly, picking up a pile of tests from the corner of his desk, pulling out a quill and a News Tablet, scrolling through the screen. "I know if you try, you'll ace my class with flying colors," he looked up at her from behind his glasses. "All of the marks in your other classes are flawless," Potts said coldly, his lips pursed in a straight line. Silver bowed her head.

"At this point, you'll fail my class," he growled. "But, we have our final project coming up; an oral report," he said, setting down the quill and scrolling the tablet down. "So, I decided that I'm going to give you the assignment early, so I _know_ you will have enough time to finish it," Potts sighed and paged through what looked like the Marks Database. After a few moments of scrolling, he let out a small 'ah' and clicked on something.

"I picked the topics early," he clicked his tongue and looked up at her, handing her a slip of paper. Silver looked at it and opened the paper. She felt her jaw drop.

"The Lunar Rebellion? But that's like, impossible to research!" she gawked. The Lunar Rebellion was a challenging subject to study, and very little imformation was given. All Silver knew was that President Luna overthrew the previous dictator, and that she turned the previous Griffin Kingdom and Equestria into the State of Mėnulis.

No other information was given, other than long, confusing paragraphs about the economy and the dictator, Queen Celestia. Potts sighed. "I want to challenge you, Silver," he said quietly, setting down his tablet and rubbing the back of his head. "I think you can do it, given the right motivation."

"What motivation would that be?"

He looked up at her with no intention to sound light or nice. "If you don't pass this project, you're failing my class, as well as your chance to become a State Temp."


	4. Gossip and Links

"I don't even get why she takes Psych," a white pony said in front of Silver. "I mean, if you're going to be a State Temp, fine, but like, why not pay attention to like, the most important class?" the white pony said, tossing her yellow hair behind her shoulder. Her gray friend nodded enthusiastically, her mouth plastered into the same mean sneer that her friend had.

"That transfer student, Silver Wish, right? Like, why is she even here? I doubt she'll ever be a Temp if she can't even pass the most _easy_ class in the _entire_ world?" the gray friend laughed, and so did the white pony. Silver gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes.

The white pony (still oblivious to Silver's presence) laughed a shrill, fluttering laugh. "Yeah, and besides, that silver hair is _so_ tacky," she said, admiring her own golden locks. Silver rolled her eyes. Who cared if the white pony was her neighbor _and_ in every class with her? She still wanted to rip their too-perfect bangs out of their head.

"Oh, my gosh! I saw Professor Potts call her to his desk after third class!" the white filly gasped suddenly, as if remembering this suddenly. Her gray friend gasped as well, her purple eyes widening.

"No, way! Like, the creepy old dude in the north wing?"

"Yeah, I just got back from there. He's so creepy!" the white filly's face suddenly took on a mean snarl, and she leaned in an whispered: "Do you think he's a creeper or something? I wonder if she got expelled?" she giggled, and so did the gray pony.

Silver coughed and raised her head. Even in the crowded hallways of the University, the white pony heard her. The two whipped their heads around and choked back a gasp. Silver's cold blue eyes bored into them. "Am I that amusing when I'm struggling?" she said flatly, her eyebrow raising as they stopped. Silver stopped walking and pursed her lips even tighter. "I'm sorry I don't fail more often; if I would have known I give so much juicy gossip, I would fail my classes more often," Silver said coldly.

The white pony's jaw was open like a fly trap. The gray pony scoffed. "Just _who_ do you think you are?" she scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Last time I checked, you're not exactly the most apt pony to pass as a Temp," the gray pony let out a shrill but cold laugh. "You have no argument."

"Oh?" Silver said, raising an eyebrow and letting a crude smile spread across her face. "Says who? You?" she let out a cold laugh and sniffed. "_Please_, don't make me laugh. If anypony has a reason to stand over the other's argument, it would be me," she growled. "I may not be able to pass one class, but I don't gossip behind ponies' backs," this silenced the gray pony.

Silver spat on the ground and stalked by the gray pony. Great, she thought. That was a very bad idea, she inwardly grimaced. She moved towards the nearest exit, and stalked outside.

* * *

Silver turned on the light, the pale yellow beams reflecting off of the smooth surface of her desk. She fell flat on her couch. She was bored. She tried to admire the white celling in all of its simplistic glory, but she felt her eyelids grow even heavier. "Ugh." she groaned, slapping her hooves against her face, sliding them down her face and moaning once more.

Silver's eyes traveled around her apartment. It was small, yet modern. The living room lead into the kitchen by an arch (the modern thing. A lot of houses had arches now) and on the far end of the kitchen was the door to the hallway. Off to the left of the kitchen was the hallway that lead to th bathroom and the bedroom. The entire wall facing the outside was a window, and Silver could see the bustling city street ten floors below her. It was night out, but there were no starts. There were never starts out in the city. Silver had heard of stories about places in Mėnulis that had skies so clear that you could see the entire galaxies. But not in Canterlot.

She huffed and hung her head off the side of the couch, her eyes focusing and refocusing. She tried to find something, anything that would occupy her time better than this. Doing the project was the last thing she wanted, and she had no intention in checking her messages.

She gazed out the large windows, which took up the majority of the wall. Outside, a bird landed on the windowsill, chirping, despite the darkness outside, and the gloom that hung in the air. Silver stuck out her tongue at it and blew a raspberry. The bird let out a startled chirp and leaped off the sill, spreading its wings and floating away.

Silver sighed, longing to do the same. Her com beeped quietly, and Silver threw back her hooves and let another moan. An electronic voice (from her com on the desk) asked in a light, female voice: "You have received a message from Mr. I.B Potts. Would you like me to read it or reply?" the voice asked sweetly. Silver snorted.

"What the hell?" she mumbled. "Read it!" she called loudly. There was a pause, then her com's voice clicked back on.

"You have received a message from I.B Potts at 10:10 pm EST. Mr. Potts says: Ms. Wish, as I understand, you're having trouble in finding information and reliable databases. I have sent you a separate email of newspaper clippings and I have more links and imformation from the library and com databases. Most of them are from the Presidential Library, straight from the castle, so they should be reliable. I have included the links in the description," the electronic voice read, then paused. "End of message. Message does include several links. Would you like me to visit them?" the voice asked.

Silver pondered this. Why not? "Open links," she said. "Please," she added. The com let out a small beep, then began clicking, searching for the links. Silver sat up when it let out a chime and began blinking. She made her way to the desk and plopped in the chair.

The surface of her desk consisted of a flat, touchscreen surface. The message had popped up on the screen, and an option came up that read: project? Silver tapped it and sat back. A small projector above the com blinked on and projected the image onto the air.

Nothing came up at first, but then dozens of pictures and links and old newspaper clippings. Her eyes scanned over the screens, and nothing other than the obvious "Great Proclaiming of the State". She sighed and asked out loud. "How many links are there?"

"53," the com answered. Silver sighed and closed the links. She tapped her hoof on the off button, and the message as well as the link projections, leaving the normal blue home screen with the State logo spinning, just like the one in the classroom.

Nothing other than what she expected. Silver sighed and closed her eyes. Silver suddenly dawned on something. The State Temps wrote this stuff; like what reporters used to be. All they wrote were the stock status and how amazing the State was. Maybe being a State Temp wasn't all she thought it would be.

Silver shrugged it off and walked slowly back to her room.


	5. 156

Silver woke up slowly the next morning to the sound of her com beeping softly on her bedside table. She sat up, letting the covers slide off her and letting out a soft command of "lights". The wall facing the outside slowly faded from dark to full opacity. Harsh sunlight flooded through the window, and Silver held her hoof in front of her face in a fetal attempt to protect her pale blue eyes.

She had gone to bed late that night. The email Potts had sent her had kept her up all night, and she hadn't gone to sleep until about one in the morning. She knew she had lied when she told him that she couldn't find good sources; all of the sources she found before had been conspiracy websites, which had been promptly blocked by the apartment complexes wifi. It wasn't that she hadn't found sources, it was that she didn't look. Silver didn't understand why it was important to take Psych if all she was going to do was report on the State.

The com beeped impatiently once more. Silver sighed and looked down at it. A message box had appeared on its smooth surface that read: "You have 156 new Social Media notifications". Silver felt her eyes widen in utter surprise. One hundred and fifty six new notifications?

"Time?" she barked hoarsely. She looked to the window, and on its clear face, large, digital numbers read 6:32. She gawked. In only five hours she had gotten 156 new notifications? "Show messages!" she said, scrambling out of bed and running up to the window.

Text boxes and profiles popped up over the window's surface, spreading all the way up to her tall ceiling and spreading from wall to wall. She tapped one of the messages and maximized it so she could read it comfortably. She felt tears spring to her eyes at the message.

_**SunnySide posted at 4:52 am EST:**__ Who knew that SilverWish would be into such old ponies like Prof. Potts? LOL! _

Silver wish backed up and shook her head. "What is this?" she whispered. There were 23 comments, and Silver tapped on them to expand them larger. The comments separated and aligned themselves and scrolled down slowly.

_** FoggyBanks commented at 4:53 am:**__ What, really? Woooow! Who would have thought? She's such a weirdo! SilverWish is such a loser, I can't believe she's failing Psych!_

_** Greensle**__**e**__**ves commented at 4:54 am:**__ How could she fail Psych? That's like the easiest class EVER! SunnySide, do you think Potts is like, a perv or something?_

_** SunnySide replied at 4:55 am:**__ Whhhooo knooooowwwss? LOL!_

_** Pocky commented at 4:55 am:**__ That's so weird! I've noticed that he's been calling her back a lot since that one day she wasn't paying attention! _

___**Sprintfoot commented at 4:56 am:**__ You mean the day she was 'reading her textbook'? That was such a LAME excuse! SilverWish is so stupid, who would fall for that? _

_** DeadLift commented at 4:56 am:**__ Maybe he 'punished' her? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!_

Silver couldn't read anymore. She tapped the 'x' in the corner of the comment box and took a step back, putting a hoof to her mouth. She sat down on the floor and set out a feeble command of "Close messages," and leaning her back against the bed. The com gave a cheerful beep and the messages disappeared from the window, and the time still remained on the glass pane.

Silver began to cry.

She had known telling off the white filly, Sunny Side, was a bad idea. What was even worse is that was not the only post. There was still 133 more, and Silver had no intent to read them. She let herself cry for a bit, but then forced herself to get up and walk to the bathroom.

After a few minutes of straightening her hair and washing her face of its puffiness, she stood tall and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were now clear, no longer red and irritated like they were a few minutes ago. Silver bit her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes. She would not let this ruin her day.

Besides, she had a Psych class to get to.

Silver turned around, ordering the lights to switch off and grabbing her already packed saddlebag. Silver trotted to the door and opened it with a newfound confidence. So what if they thought she was a loser? Silver continued to trot, but not with the same confidence and perk as she usually did every morning. Silver paused at Sunny Side's door and inspected the potted sun roses that she held so proudly in front of her door. She stuck her nose in the air and positioned herself so her rear was aimed at the plants.

With one smooth motion, she leaned on her front legs, balancing on them oh so carefully and kicking back with all her might. Her hooves connected with the pot, and it went flying against her white metal door, crashing with the satisfying sound of plastic and metal meeting. Silver tossed her hair our of her eyes and landed with a soft _oof_.

The pot didn't break, and neither did her prized roses, but her roses were diminished a few rungs. Smirking to herself, she reached over and took the biggest and fullest rose and bit it off at the stem, pulling back and chewing it with relish that she didn't really feel.

Coughing slightly, she turned around and trotted away, still chewing on her newfound breakfast.


	6. Why does it sound familiar?

Silver had noticed the day went through rather smoothly for her. Despite the occasional snicker in class or a bump on the shoulder or two, Silver had slid through the day without being noticed. She had even managed to answer a few questions in Psych.

After the Psych, she trotted up to Professor Potts with a bounce in her step. "Professor?" she asked, being sure to stand straight. Potts' ears twitched and looked up from his com. "I got your email. For the project?" she said. Potts nodded and leaned back.

"Oh?" he cocked his head. "Did you look at all of the links?" Potts stood up and walked past her. Despite being older than her, he was significantly shorter. (Which is saying something; Silver was considerably short) Potts walked up to the News Board and tapped the icon at the bottom.

The last of the ponies had filtered out of the room, leaving her and Potts in the room. "Yeah, I looked them over," she said slowly, walking up to him just as slowly. "What of it?" she said as she watched him pull up the email he had sent her.

"Just making sure that you did," Potts said, looking over his shoulder at her. "Find any other sources?" he said, bringing up all the links on the board. Silver shook her head, looking at her hooves. "I see," he said, tapping one of them. "I found some new material at the library. Unfortunately, the librarian there is a bit," he paused. "possessive." he ended.

"Possessive?" Silver trotted next to him. "So she won't let you scan the books?" she frowned. "That sucks," Silver tossed her bangs out of her eyes.

Potts chuckled softly. "Indeed. As I was saying, if you want to get in there, you need clearance," he looked at her over is glasses. "Specifically a Professor."

Silver nodded. "So, can you show them to me?" she asked.

"Why the newfound interest in this, Silver?" he asked lowly. "Only a week ago, you were giving me a considerable amount of lip about this," he sighed and scrolled through the link.

Silver shrugged. "Reasons," she mumbled.

Potts considered this for a moment. "Alright then," he said slowly. "The library is on the corner of Downdow and Hatchback, so it's not that far away from here," Potts maximized a section of the file, and highlighted a sentence. "Read this," he ordered.

"'._..the investigation of the Downy v. Cake case was resided over by President Luna of the State. __Despite her position of Supreme Judge, she had no comment after her decision of sending the former schoolteacher, Ms. Feather Downy to a sentence of fifty seven years in the Canterlot Penitentiary._'" Silver frowned. "Yeah, I've heard of that before," she paused, recognizing the name Downy. It itched at the back of her head, but she shrugged it off. "What's so important about this?" Silver asked quietly.

Potts shook his head and minimized the link. Potts raised an eyebrow and looked at her with his pink eyes. "Later," he said, ending the slur of questions she had on her tongue. "Are you sure you want to be seen at a library with an old croon like me?" he chuckled. Silver laughed and shrugged.

"Why not? You're my teacher. Only a freak would think that you were..." she trailed off. Silver shrugged. Potts paused and shot her a confused look. "Never mind," Silver let out a shaky breath. "Besides, they don't know everything," she looked away.

"What, about your father?" Pots laughed. "Don't tell me, they think I'm secretly a pervert or pedophile," Potts laughed, shaking his head. "Trust me, it's nothing I haven't heard before," the old professor opened a new tab. "How is your father?" Potts asked.

Silver sighed and looked at the floor. "Same as he was the last time you saw him," she coughed and averted her eyes.

"Unresponsive?"

"Mm," Silver looked out the window, her blue eyes darting from the window from the floor. It had begun to rain, and small rolls of thunder echoed throughout the hallways. "Same as he was ten years ago," Silver looked back at Potts. Potts didn't have the light look in his eyes anymore.

"Your mother?"

Silver laughed sourly. "About as helpful to me as a bucket of rotten apples, as per usual," Silver snorted. "She's still with her deadbeat boyfriend in Manehattan," Silver scoffed and looked back out the window. "Anyhow, when does the library open? I can't meet up after tomorrow, I have finals in Accounting," she said, walking up next to Potts, still shaking from frustration. She hated her mom. She hated her dad.

Potts placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Silver," he said slowly, staring into her eyes. "Slow down," he said, noticing her flustered behavior and her nervous twitches.

What frustrated her was the fact that these ponies who assumed that Potts was... doing something to her had no idea who Potts was to her. Her father, Well Wish, was Potts' top student and apprentice in the business venture. She had grown up knowing the old, gray pony, and was ecstatic to hear that he would be her professor. She was excited, until she realized how boring of a teacher he was. The only reason why they hated each other so much was because they knew each other too much.

Potts sighed and pulled up what looked like a schedule. "How about tonight? The library opens around 5:30, so we should be able to get some things done before it closes if we get a head start," Potts glanced at the board, muttering something about the time.

"Time?" Potts barked. Large digital numbers appeared on the board's silver surface. 2:45, Silver smiled. "We have time, then," Potts said. "Say, why don't we go now? This is your last class, right?"

"Yeah," Silver chirped as Potts closed the clock and shut down the board. She knew it would be a bad idea if her and Potts were seen together, especially after all of the messages, but she didn't really mind anymore. Silver would be out of Canterlot soon, anyways, and the college life far behind her.

After a few minutes of light chatting and Potts packing up his saddlebag, they finally moved out of the building and onto the busy city streets. Canterlot was far different from what it looked like it was portrayed in the history books. The city was white with tall, gleaming buildings, but it did not look clean, despite the constant Garbage Ponies picking up litter. It was a city to behold, but Silver couldn't wait to get out of it. She missed the more open, suburban areas she grew up in. Ponyville was never overcrowded like this.

Potts walked a tad bit slower than usual, his face distant and brooding. "Silver to Potts!" Silver tapped him on the head, his eyes widening. Once he regained his posture, he looked up at her. "I have a question," Silver said, looking straight ahead. Potts cocked his head.

"I have an answer," Potts said slowly.

"Why did you assign the Rebellion to _me_?" Silver pursed her lips and looked at her hooves. "I mean, Diploma or even Sunny Side is more advanced in Psych than me by a tenfold!" she cringed at Potts' raised eyebrow. "I guess I'm just slightly confused why you chose me for this. I'm not your best and brightest, and you know I'm about as talented as a dead horse when it comes to reports," Silver rolled her eyes and laughed.

Potts looked at her thoughtfully. "I suppose its because I think you can handle it." Potts said. "You see, there's going to be times where you're given something to do, but you don't have talent. When that happens, you just have to shoulder it and give it all you've got, despite your hatred for it," Potts said quietly, his eyes boring into her. "I guess I'm preparing you for that."

"With a report?" Silver snorted at his sudden brooding mode. "Deep much?"

Potts laughed softly and shook his head, his seriousness leaving his eyes. "I suppose I have a tendency to do that," he said quietly. "You'll have to excuse me for that; I do that frequently."

They then dismissed the previous topic and began to chat about other things. Although they weren't talking about it, it itched the back of her mind. _Why would he say that?_ Silver thought, confused. _And why does the name Downy sound familiar?_


	7. Manuscripts

Silver sighed as she took a sip of her drink. Since the library opened at 5:45, Potts said it would be a good idea to grab a bite to eat. Silver agreed, and they trotted to the nearest café. The nearest one was the Twenty First, which was a small restaurant on the 21st floor in the Downdow building, which was conveniently next to the library. To kill some time, Silver and Potts discussed her project and formats and missed assignments (Silver unfortunately agreed to redo all of them).

They ate and talked for about two hours, and at 4:45, Silver and Potts left the tab on the table and trotted to the elevator. They both awkwardly squished into the elevator with a small waitress and a large, brawny Fed. The Fed's eyes were shielded by a black visor, and his fur was covered by a latex white suit and a gun strapped to his hip. Silver looked him up and down, curious about him.

The Fed turned around and glared at her from behind his visor and let out a warning growl from deep in his throat. Silver backed her ears against her skull and averted her eyes. He let out a huff and looked back at the door again. After an awkward ride on the elevator, the Fed and the waitress got off on the 10th floor. Silver let out a breath as the glass door closed. Potts laughed and looked out the glass walls to the street below.

"He's intimidating," Silver said, her voice shaking slightly.

Potts smiled softly, his wrinkles creasing on the corners of his mouth. "Only slightly," he said. Potts wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was a hot day outside, and the sunlight wasn't filtered through the glass.

They arrived on the bottom and walked slowly out of the elevator and onto the street. The streets were still crowded, and cars still hovered over the pavement and through the air, their quiet hum reaching a roar.

The library on the corner was an older building, but it was still white and still tall, but elegant stained-glass windows were engraved into the sides of the building in colorful curves and waves of glass. Silver and Potts trotted into the library's public lobby and up to the front desk. An old, white filly was sitting at the desk, scanning books under her com.

Potts coughed and held up his ID. "The library opens in fifteen minutes. Please wait," the old filly said without looking up. Potts scoffed and gestured over to the chairs that were lined up against th far wall. Sighing, Silver sat down and looked up at the ceiling. It arched up into a curved dome. The State's emblem of the moon was embellished on the ceiling, accompanied by Fleur De lies surrounding it.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, the white filly waved them over. Pots handed her his ID, and she scanned it under her com. Silver did the same, handing the filly her student ID, which she promptly scanned as well. "Through there," the filly pointed towards an arch on the other side of the room, and handed them back their IDs.

Potts and Silver trotted though the arch and up a flight of stairs. They came into a large room, shelves and shelves of old manuscripts that lined the wall. Silver turned to look at Potts, but he wasn't there; he was already at a table, sliding his ID through the table's com. It projected the words: 'RESERVED' in large, red letters in the air.

"Alright, lets get to it," Potts said, turning to face her.

"So, are these the manuscripts?" Silver blew on one of them, dust motes dancing off of the leather cover. "How old are these?" she said, opening one to find colorfully printed pages, slightly weathered after the many years of sitting on the shelf.

"About 700 years old," Potts said a matter of factly. "Be careful with that!" he barked as one of the manuscripts toppled over the top of the pile that Silver was tediously carrying. "These manuscripts are worth more than your head!" Potts snarled and picked up the fallen manuscript.

Silver cringed and laughed uncomfortably. "Sorry," she whimpered as she set the books down with a lone _thump_. Potts sighed and waved it away.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Potts said, grabbing one of the manuscripts and sitting down with it. "No, it should be here somewhere," he muttered, paging through the manuscript's dusty pages. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw the bookmark sticking out of the page. "Here it is!" he beckoned her over and pointed to a paragraph.

"'... _the Hunter v. Opal case continued but was eventually dismissed by the President, who had no further comment of the matter,'" _Silver sat down and looked at it closer. "She had no comment? But isn't that what the other excerpt of the Downy v. Cake case said?" Silver looked up at Potts, confusion scribbled on her forehead.

"Not only in these two cases," he paused as he tapped the com and pulled up the manuscript's text. He typed something, then punched the search button. Millions and millions of results came up, scrolling down the page and filling up the com's screen. "Project," Potts ordered, and the results appeared in the air, the words 'no comment' filling her vision.

All of them were talking about President Luna. "This is..." Silver trailed off as she stood up, mouth agape. Potts looked up at her grinning face and smiled.

"Think about it, when have you ever heard something from the own President's mouth live? On the news? In your books?" Potts pulled out her seat and motioned for her to sit down. "Think, Silver! When have you ever even heard President Luna speak freely without a teleprompter or a per written speech?" Potts said, is voice lowering to almost a whisper, his words a rumble in his throat.

Silver blinked. "Come to think of it, I've never heard of that," Silver said, her eyes narrowing. Suddenly, alarm gripped her. He had the same behavior that she had read about: Rebels. Was he a Troop? Or worse, planning something? "Potts, why are we here?"

"Come on!" Potts said, ignoring the latter of her comments. He beckoned her over to the other manuscripts, and began to open them up. Colorful illustrations of ponies with wings and strange, pointy horns on their foreheads decorated page after page. "Look at this! See these ponies with wings? They're called 'pegasi', and these ones with the horns are called 'unicorns'!" Potts' voice was almost child-like now, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Pegasi can fly, and unicorns can use magic! _Magic_, Silver! Like in the storybooks!"

"Potts, why are we here?" Silver asked again, confused and now frustrated in her professor's rabbit-trail attention span. Potts' head shot up and looked straight into her eyes. "Potts?" her voice died in her throat as he pulled out his portable com. His eyes suddenly seemed to dawn on her discomfort, and he straightened. His eyes narrowed.

Then, without a word being said, he began to snap pictures of the pages, going from one manuscript from another. "We're here to gather information for your project, Silver," he said slowly, continuing to snap pictures.

Silver bit her bottom lip. "I see," she said slowly. "Question," she said, sitting down, her hip and confidence deflated from her. "can I borrow these manuscripts?" Silver asked, her breath catching in her throat as the clicking of the camera stopped.

"I can check some out for you," Potts said, a smile in his voice. Silver nodded and continued to stare at the table. She wanted to get up and leave Potts and his stupid manuscripts behind, but curiosity had the better of her, her brain stitched to the idea of flying ponies and ponies using magic.

Why would something like this be in a history library, she pondered. Especially in the President's library. Silver sighed and rested her muzzle on the table. Potts' smile faded as quickly as it had come, and he stood up and looked at the window. "We need to leave," he said. It was dark out, so the moon was high in the sky, radiant and bright.

"What? Why?" Silver said, raising her head. "What is it?"

Potts still had a worried look on his face. "Just check out the manuscripts and go home. Send me a message when you're done reading them," Potts then turned on his back hooves and trotted away in a sudden urgency that alarmed Silver.

She turned to face the window. Nothing was there except the lone moon with no stars, as per usual. She frowned and gathered up the manuscripts (which she so expertly balanced on her head) and trotted to the check-out desk.

It was only 7:38.


	8. Run!

Silver sighed and rested her head on the table. It was raining, and she couldn't help but close her eyes and want to drift off to the quiet pattering on her windows and roof. The wall facing the outside was darkened, so Silver could only see the car lights below. (It was also very dark out) Heavy, menacing clouds covered the sky, leaving a cold and desolate feeling in the air.

She kept the lights off in the living room. She didn't want people peeking in on her reading. Ponies who read books and manuscripts were preferred to be kept at an arms length away. Ponies who usually read these old history books have had the stereo type of 'conspiracy nut' stamped on them for life. Despite having the 'freedom of speech', President Luna always shut down and arrested the conspiracy nuts if they brought her or the Rebellion into the mix.

Silver closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Potts was a nutjob, just like the rest of the professors. Just like her father. Silver turned her head so her muzzle was squished on the cool surface of her desk. She let a long, frustrated groan escape her, and she couldn't help but notice the fact that she was fretting over a simple stack of books.

Since all of her homework for her other classes were done, she lifted her head and reached for the dusty manuscript (which were now wrapped in a thin layer of latex). Silver was only able to rent one, and she hadn't got to reading it yet. It was the smallest, only a few pages wrapped in a leather binding. Setting it in front of her, she opened it up to the first page and began reading.

'_For how long have we fallen? These brothers and sisters of mine call for me, but my hooves are stones deep in the earth, rooted in the idea of freedom. How have my winged and horned siblings and cousins gave in to such anarchy and darkness? The Lady of the Night has betrayed th__eir freedom, and banished the sun from the sky.__'_

Interesting, Silver thought as she tried to grasp the difficult language. It was old, very old, and Silver squinted at it as if to make it clearer.

'_Alas! These fools think she will spare! I laugh and shout at their deliberate ignorance and their jubilant will to follow like young ducklings! __Fie, fie on your ignorant behavior! __The night is a cage and the moon is the lock holding you back. For do not forget your brothers that fell to the moon's wrath and misjudgment. _

_ Perhaps I should let you all fall, and be in torment! For the queen of betrayal, the general of hate, this is nothing but a brush of dust off her shoulder. She throws our mother out, banishing her to the depths of darkness and mange.'_

Hello, Silver thought. "'Throws our mother out', huh?" she typed something onto her notepad on her com, and continued to read. That sounded like a rebellion to Silver.

'_Perhaps I should have let you fall into the fire, cold moon! You spat on our mother and sent her to the dark without so much of a goodbye from her children! Aye, but the sun sets every day. She falls behind the mountains and seas, leaving __h__er warm light for another time. There comes a time when the moon must rise and have her night of glory, letting her cool light wash the ponies below. She has hung in the sky and let the world burn, not letting light give way to the ones who fight the fire! She brutally rid those with the ability to take flight and bend __reality__ by drowning them! Their screams are almost far more than I can bear. She leaves us wingless, seedless ones here, so as to rule over us in her paper castle. She destroys the land itself. _

_ But the moon also has to set as well. When that day comes, the church temples will ring with joy as the moon sets behind the mountains, resting for her sister, the bringer of life! The sun will rise with the clouds, and she will triumph over the moon with a glory that leaves us unable to speak! Aye, my siblings, we will rebel against the cold moon and bring back our mother, the all golden sun in the celestial above!_

_ Yet the moon will plot, and the moon will plan._

_ For how far have we fallen?'_

No way, Silver thought, her jaw dropping. The book, the history book, said that the very president that protected the night and the day, had started the Rebellion for no reason. Silver couldn't help but feel a bit cynical.

She jotted down a few other notes, then closed the book. She turned to her com. "Com?" she called softly. The com beeped and blinked.

"Yes?" the com's smooth voice echoed through the room.

"Send a message to Professor Potts." the com beeped in response, then projected the message box into the air. Silver began to type rapidly.

'_Professor Potts, I read the last manuscript, and the information inside of it was... misleading. It says something about President Luna being the instigator of the Rebellion and overthrowing the Queen for no reason. I don't know why, but I'm inclined to believe it. I mean, what you said about Luna not saying anything freely, it seems like she's afraid to let something slip. These history books are only able to be accessed by the most State loyal professors and officials that would never believe this, and the other manuscripts said the same thing. There__'s too many connections to ignore this._

_Write back soon please. Silver.'_

Silver bit her lip, her hooves shaking. "Send, please," Silver whispered, sitting back in her seat. The com beeped, and the message box closed with a snap. Silver took in a shaky breath and put her head in her hooves.

Many minutes passed. The lights of the cars that passed the upper roads flashed by her windows, causing the room to illuminate. Silver looked back at the manuscript and frowned. Usually, manuscripts could be scanned for similar results online; text sites that had similar content. Perhaps this one could be scanned as well.

She took the manuscript and scanned the text over her com.

Suddenly, the com beeped and red lights flashed, the projection turning on and flashing new results, one after another. New links of discarded news reports, voice recordings and videos popped up and flashed before her eyes. The videos and recording overlapped each other, showing death and torture and horrid things that the State has done to them out of nowhere.

News reports of houses and towns burning down, the President's wrath, executions, new law and secret speeches of hate filled her vision, and Silver frantically tapped the off button, trying to close the ghastly sight that was before her.

Finally, she highlighted the links, copied them and punched the reset button on her com. The screen went blank. The silence was gratefully accepted by Silver, and she sunk her head into the desk and sobbed. She sobbed for a while, despite the whirring of the com trying to restart.

How could this happen? How could she want to be a keeper of something so horrible? Silver let herself cry and wail and inwardly curse the State with all her being. She continued to cry.

The com in her bedroom beeped through the silence.

Silver shook her head and wiped her eyes. After a few moments, she grabbed the book and inspected the cover. A Pegasus, unicorn and normal pony were circling arrangement of jewels. They looked so sad, Silver thought. All three were crying, and they were looking at the sky that held the moon. The moon was dark, and it was scrawled like it was meant to look menacing and cruel as it hung over the ponies' heads. Silver shuddered.

The ponies of the State loved the night, and the night was a cherished time. There were festivals for the moon and the stars, and the moon decorated every flag and building in the city of Canterlot. (And every other town for that matter) Speaking out against the moon or making the night look frightening was strictly morally wrong and illegal in the State of Mėnulis. Clearly, a State Temp was not the author of this, Silver thought.

The com in her bedroom beeped again. Silver growled and walked into her room, leaving the manuscript and her restarting com behind. The room was completely quiet, so Silver tapped the com's message button.

"You have one new message from I.B Potts. Would you like to view or have me read it?" The com's voice asked.

"View," Silver ordered. There was one word in the message.

_'RUN!' _

Silver's mouth dropped open, her eyes widening into sheer horror. She tapped the smooth surface to exit to the home screen, but the com beeped furiously and spat sparks at her. Silver gasped as one landed on her ear, searing her fur and skin. The screen suddenly changed from its usual, cool blue to an angry red. The words: 'WARNING, YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF THE STATE OF MENULIS' CONSPIRACY ACT. FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ARE ON THEIR WAY TO COLLECT YOU.'

Silver let out a scream and ran into the living room, looking at her com's projection screen. It too was an angry red, and the same warning was scrawled in official letters with the State's seal behind it. Silver's eyes began to water up once more, and she backed into the corner.

"No!" she cried, hanging her head. Go away, her brain told her. Escape! Silver crouched in the corner, shaking her head and crying. "No, no!" she wailed again. All her hopes, all her dreams of becoming a loyal citizen, one who would just blend in, was ruined. She would never become a Temp now. She would never be able to live quietly.

Run! Something inside her snapped. Without thinking, she ran to her bedroom, grabbing a scarf and a hat, carrying it in her teeth back to the living room. She threw them into her saddlebag and grabbed the manuscript, tearing off the bottom of the cover that held the tracking device and the State's emblem. She tore the back of the com off (the one with her past memory logs) and tossed it into the bag as well. She galloped into the kitchen and grabbed her money jar and threw that in as well.

She stuffed them into her saddlebag and clipped it shut. She glared at the warning that was still flashing and angry. "Not today," she said sourly, spitting on the com.

She stifled a scream as there was a pounding on the door and an angry yell from behind it. Silver bit her bottom lip and began to breathe faster. That was the only way out...

… but it wasn't. Silver, despite the commotion, turned her head slowly to the wall facing the outside. The glass wall. Silver took a step back, bracing herself. It's going to break, she told herself.

In a rush, Silver reared and galloped for the door at full speed. She flashed past the com and the desk and to the window, ducking her head and ramming into the glass at full speed. Nothing happened at first, she bounced back and fell on all fours. Imitating what had happened just that morning, she leaned on her front hooves and bucked the glass as hard as she could. A small crack snaked and crackled its way up the window, and Silver tired again and again, her hind legs growing sore from the force of the glass.

The pounding turned into an all out ramming of shoulders and hooves against her door, and finally it burst open, leaving Silver wide open. The Feds glanced around at first, then looked straight at her with their shielded eyes.

Silver knew what to do now.

One of the ponies pulled their gun out and aimed at her, their calm expressions unsettling. The pony with the gun aimed and fired, but not before Silver jerking out of the way of his aim and kicking a fraction before he pulled the trigger. The force of the bullet and her kick was the thing that finally broke the glass, shattering it into billions of countless pieces. The glass fluttered out over the street below, the wind catching them and hurtling them to the busy street below.

The Feds stood their ground with awe as Silver turned to them, her scarf covering her muzzle. A few moments passed, and when one of the ponies leaped forward to grab her, Silver stood on her hind legs and jumped up and off the oncoming Fed and out the window, plummeting down the side of the building.


	9. No Intention to Die

Silver had no intention to die that day.

Time slowed down for Silver as she fell towards the pavement. She blinked, watching the glass fly around her like tiny twinkling shooting stars. Maybe its okay to die, she thought. I led a pretty good life, and I went out with a bang... or a splat, she thought bitterly.

Still, she compelled herself to twist her body as soon as her hooves left the window sill. Silver twisted until her feet were facing the pavement, and Silver bent her knees as she hit the cloth overhang at the bottom. Sliding down and up the curve of it, she jumped off quickly as she slid to the edge of the overhang. Ponies on the street who had watched her fall, cried out and gasped as she landed roughly on four hooves, glancing up at the broken window. She let out a hiss as her hooves sharply connected with the pavement. The Feds were leaning out the window and glancing around for her.

The ponies moved out of her way as she took a step forward, disgust scrawled on their faces. Despite their obvious distaste for her fleeing of the Feds, they moved out of her way quietly as she sprinted down the street, her muffler flying behind her like a separate tail. One of the Feds barked something at the other, and they disappeared from the broken window as they ran back down the stairs to the apartment complexes entrance.

Silver galloped through the pouring rain, dodging and jumping over and around ponies' head. Some yelled at her and snarled as she bumped or jostled past them. Silver was in a comfortable stride, and her hoof beats were steady and repetitive.

Puffs of smoke trailed out from behind Silver's scarf as she panted, her muscles beginning to become sore. Silver didn't bother to glance behind her; she knew that she had a good distance away from the the Feds.

In her haze of confidence, her scarf had become loose and snaked its way under her hooves, catching the bottom of her hooves and throwing her stride off. Her hoof slipped and threw her forward, her muzzle smacking against the pavement. Silver attempted to stand, but a passing pony stepped on the scarf, choking her and forcing her to put her head back on the pavement. Nopony paid any attention to the strange, crying pony on the pavement; they just kept pondering on with themselves.

Silver jumped up before anypony else could step on her, and Silver struggled to get into her stride again. She had lost precious ground from her fall; Silver could see the Feds pushing the crowd aside. She stumbled off the side of the sidewalk, sprinting across the walk way. Cars honked and ponies shouted slurs of cruel words at her as she jumped over the cars and around them. She didn't have time to wait for the green light to beckon her across.

The Feds (ever the law keepers) waited till the red light switched to green, giving Silver a good distance away from them. She turned the corner, tripping and slipping in her hysteria. Silver jumped into the nearest alleyway and behind the nearest dumpster. Silver gasped and collapsed into a ball of sobbing, crying misery.

The Feds were after her. The Feds were after _her_. Silver pressed her back against the wall and took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with every ragged breath. Silver was thankful that the buildings she was wedged in between had ledges that shielded Silver from the rain, and she unwrapped her scarf and took a deep breath. Despite the hoof marks and stains on it now, Silver folded it and slipped it in her saddlebag. She tenderly touched the burn on her ear and the new bruise on her muzzle.

"Ah," she hissed as she pulled her hoof away from her nose. There was blood splattered on the tip of her hoof, and Silver licked her teeth. She tasted blood, and she assumed that she bumped her tooth or bit her tongue. She spit to the side and leaned her head on the brick wall. Her tail hung limply to the side and sat in a puddle, and Silver (despite her hate for muck and dirt) left it there.

She saw no stars. The sky was dark and cold and uninviting. Silver's ears twitched as a drop of rain fell between her eyes. She shifted so as to pull the saddle bag off her waist and sat it on her lap. Opening it with a soft click, she slipped her hoof inside and pulled out the memory bank of her com. The memory bank was the only thing that couldn't be tracked, of which Silver was grateful for.

The cold, hard memory bank sat lifeless in her hooves. The history of her searches and scans would show up there, including the manuscript scan. Silver was glad she had scanned it before, what with her ripping of the State's seal that _was_ traceable. With that, she took hold of the manuscript.

It didn't look like much; to anypony else it would have looked like an old paper magazine at first glance. It was about ten sheets of paper in a moldy leather binding that had the disturbing painting on it and a missing corner.

Silver eyes it closely. What was on this manuscript? Was the information she obtained from it on the others in the library? She growled and shook it upside down, as if expecting the answer to fall form the pages. Mostly, books had all of their information stored digitally on a seal on the corner, so when it was scanned the information could be read easier.

She flipped through the pages. The same, almost insane scrawlings on the pages about death and destruction covered them. Nothing out of the usual, nothing too special. She sighed and hung her head. She slipped the manuscript back in her saddle bag and rolled over, trying not to make too much noise.

Fortunately, alleyways and backyards weren't watched, but Silver didn't want attention attracted to it. She was tired to the marrow of her bones and tried to shut her eyes.

But she was less successful than she had expected. The colored warning on her com screen was seared into her mind and latched itself onto her eyes. She couldn't sleep, and the reality of the situation scratched at her conscious.

The Feds were after her.

The Feds were after _her_.


	10. Cutting Yourself from Society

Silver pulled her muffler over her nose and ducked her head as she gritted her teeth around the bit of cardboard. She positioned the scissors above her ear and took a deep breath.

Every pony had a chip in their ear, right at the tip. Every time a pony passed under a camera or com, they would be identified. This was a great predicament for a run away or a rebel, so the only way to be able to disappear was to get rid of the chip,

Silver bit down on the piece of cardboard and pulled the scissors shut around her ear tip, slicing it off cleanly. Silver shrieked, screaming around the bit so as not to bite or swallow her tongue. The slice began to bleed, and blood ran freely down her thin coat of gray and silver.

She coughed and spit out the cardboard, letting it fall to the ground as she collapsed against the dumpster. Silver gasped and reached for her scarf, placing it against her ear and sighing as the blood stopped running into her eyes.

It hurt. It hurt like fire and like anything else that causes pain. Silver leaned her shoulder against the dumpster as she looked up at the ledge above her. No cameras. No surveillance; Silver nodded to herself and sighed.

Luckily, she always kept a small first aid kit in her saddlebag, and she opened the tiny red box to find the gauss and cleaner. With a hiss, she opened the bottle of cleaner and spread it on her ear, late applying the gauss. She wiggled her ear experimentally, then, when the pain ebbed slowly away, Silver pulled the now bloody scarf over her mouth. She tucked the bloody cloth down and stood up shakily.

She was a mess; to anypony else, she would have looked like a poor college student that was down on their luck. Her wrapped ear (which was tucked underneath her hat so as not to call suspicion) as well as her burn mark, her drooping tired eyes, her dirty mane and tail, her tear stained cheeks.

Silver stretched and yawned with relish, her muscles popping and sighing as she twisted her body so as to wake up. She stood up and shook her mane, brushing it back with her hooves.

Silver had everything mapped in her head; Potts' house was under surveillance. Silver couldn't go back to her apartment room, or to the school. She scratched her chin and sighed. The school was the most guarded place, and no one, not even her old professors would help her. She didn't have any friends in the school district; all of her friends were in Ponyville (which was too far away).

But...

Silver made her decision and clipped her saddle bag shut and took a deep breath. She wiggled her way out from between the dumpster and wall and skipped slightly so as to catch herself from tripping. The air was cold and wet, and Silver nuzzled her nose into the muffler as she stepped out onto the street, her head held high.


	11. Filly in the Mirror

School was out temporarily (apparently that stupid Silver Wish idiot broke a law. Not that Sunny Side was surprised, she always knew she would be a Troop) because of 'federal reasons', and Sunny Side wanted to splurge as much as possible.

The lack of assignments and the fact that it had been down pouring for the past few days were what compelled her to watch the com feed. To her delight, it had live footage of the silver Troop being chased by the Feds. The Temp on screen pulled u a picture of her and how much the reward for her was. Sunny Side smiled and leaned back. She was happy to tell the Feds last night how stupid Silver was, and how she was expecting her to become a Troop eventually

She didn't feel bad about sending out that post on Social Media; worry would give one wrinkles. Besides, Sunny Side was simply _meant_ to be on the com feed, she was the prettiest and the most pleasing to the eye, after all. Temps on screen had to be very affluent, and to Sunny Side's demise, Silver Wish was stunningly beautiful. ("Not as much as me, though!" Sunny thought)

She had grown up to know Silver Wish. They went to the same boarding school in Ponyville and both saw...

… Sunny shook her head and pushed the thought from her mind. That teacher was _breaking the rules_, and nopony broke the rules in the State of Menulis, that was just wrong and stupid. Silver Wish had always been her nemesis, and Sunny hated the fact that Silver got all the attention, all of the praise; just for having long, silver hair and good grades. To Sunny, she was just another pretty pony who was her rival.

Sunny sighed and rested her head on the headrest of the couch. Her com blinked to show that she had a message, and Sunny smiled. "Open!" she sang as she sat up.

_Video chat? _It read, and the signature, which was signed in a swirl of perfect hand writing: Lilac. Sunny rolled her eyes. Lilac was a nice filly, but she was too clingy for Sunny's taste. No, she did not feel like video chatting with her, and Sunny Side put that promptly in the reply box and sent it. Lilac had seemed to get it into her head that just because she showed up Silver Wish in defense of her that they were automatically best friends. In Sunny's mind, that was far from true.

Now that she was out of the way, Sunny could focus on more important things, like doing her hair for instance. Sunny Side twirled her bangs away from her light blue eyes. Being beautiful was _so_ hard; especially having beautiful hair. One who has beautiful hair must take good and proper care of it, and Sunny (making sure she was fabulous in every way possible) was obliged to take hours of washing, priming and combing it.

Colored hair was a gift in the State. Most ponies had gray or black or white hair, which gave a uniform feel to the country. Not that colored hair was frowned upon in any way, but having blond, pink or purple hair... even silver hair was a gift.

Trotting back to the bathroom, Sunny shivered when she passed the bedroom. She peeked her head in and scrunched her nose. The wall (which was entirely a window) was cracked at the bottom. Sunny frowned; she must have opened it last night for some fresh air.

Without thinking any more on it, Sunny trotted over to the window and shut it with a _snap_. Humming a lively tune, she trotted into the wide bathroom and turned on the bath with a short command of 'hot water, please'. Sunny continued to hum as steam filled up the room, and she pulled the pins that were holding her messy bun up out of her golden locks.

The mirror, after a few minuted of brushing and humming, had clouded up which hampered Sunny's vision to see herself. With a swift motion, she raised her hoof and swiped the mirror in a practiced motion and stared into the clear surface which now had droplets of water cascading down it.

Sunny choked back a scream as a face looked back at her that wasn't hers. A pony, a _silver_ pony was standing in the corner of the bathroom, leaning against the door. Sunny Side spun around, ready to smack the living daylights out of the pony who had sneaked in. She would recognize that coat anywhere.

Silver Wish.

Her hoof was caught on the way down, and a hind leg connected with her stomach in a flash, knocking the wind out of Sunny. Silver Wish threw her into the bedroom and pounced on top of her, hooves battering her legs that covered her face. Finally, Silvers hooves pried away Sunny's and exposed her face. Silver's hoof roughly shoved itself into Sunny's mouth, cutting off her scream.

Silver leaned down and growled. "Try to call the Feds and I'll rip out your tongue," she hissed lowly, her eyes giving away that she meant what she was saying. Sunny sniffed and felt tears well in her eyes. "Alright," Silver paused. "I'm going to take my hoof off now. Scream and your dead," she growled, almost inaudible through her panting.

She lifted her hoof off, leaving Sunny crying and pleading pathetically. Silver visibly rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she snapped. Sunny did so with a clap of her teeth slamming together.

Silver would kill her. _Silver would kill her_.

The silver pony sat on her haunches and glared at Sunny with an icy blue stare. Sunny gulped and ducked her head. "Now, I'm going to ask you something, and you're going to answer as best as possible, or so hep me, I'll kill you," Silver shoved her face so they were nose to nose, leaving Sunny wide eyed and nodding.

"Where. Is. Professor. Potts?" she spat each word like it was poison, her teethe bared and eyes cold. Sunny gulped and backed away, lifting her chin shakily and trying to exude confidence that she didn't really feel.

Sunny narrowed her eyes. "I'm not helping a _Troop_," she spat. Silver hissed and took a menacing step towards her, snorting at her evident bravado. "No! You know what? You're nothing but a _traitor_ and a stupid _brat_ who rebelled just because of a stupid project you didn't want to!" Sunny's voice rose to a hysterical laughter. "You'd be insane to think that _I'd _help _you_!" Sunny screamed, charging Silver with all she had.

Sunny rammed her head into Silver's shoulder and pushed as hard as she could. Silver cried out and spun around, charging back. The silver filly opened her jaw and bit down onto the nearest part of Sunny and pulled. Sunny cried out as she felt her teeth sink into Sunny's muzzle. The white filly however swung a hoof that connected with Silver's mouth, and Silver let go of her muzzle.

Kicking with all her might, Silver pushed away from Sunny and placed a firm and last kick on Sunny's right shoulder. Letting out a cry, the white filly fell to the ground with a dull _thump_.

Silver stood silently, panting and wiping the blood from her mouth with a hoof, her body still tense and ready to attack again. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Silver screamed. Sunny coughed and looked up at Silver, spitting to the side. "You'd think I'd give up everything because of a stupid _project_?" Silver laughed sourly and swung her head from side to side. "No, I ran away because of the _god damned State_, that's why!" Silver rasped furiously, growling at Sunny's confused face.

Sunny propped herself up painfully. "Why the hell are you here?" she hissed through closed teeth. "Why would you think _I_ would help you?"

"Just answer my question."

"About Potts?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah," she panted, narrowing her eyes. "Well?" she spat when Sunny didn't answer for a few moments.

Sunny sighed, not willing to mess herself up anymore. Her shoulder hurt like fire and she had no intention to keep fighting. "Since you've gone AWOL, they closed the school campus to search for you," she said quietly, not looking Silver in the eye. "Classes have been closed since you're little," she paused. "endeavor," she sighed and stood up, walking past Silver without looking at her.

Silver watched her go. "Going to report me?" she asked, nervousness creeping into her voice.

Sunny sighed, exasperated. "No, Silver Wish," she called from the living room, turning on the com. "Besides, I know why you're here," she said as Silver Wish trotted into the arch leading to the living room.

"Oh?"

Sunny turned and looked at her, full in the face. "You're here because of what happened to Ms. Downy, aren't you?'

Silver's eyes widened.


	12. Influence

_Silver had not intended to get along with Sunny Side, nevertheless actually talk to her. She knew the last place the Feds would look was the apartment directly next to her old one, and Sunny being the only pony she remotely had a history with was her only option. _

_ Perhaps it was the way Sunny had fought back was the reason she had a newfound respect for her. Silver had not expected the white filly that was obsessed with her hair to fight back, let alone give Silver a bloody lip. Sunny seemed to eventually see that there was no way she could escape or call help, so she simply trotted into the living room and began to watch the news feed on the com. _

_ "I know why you're here," she had said with disdain. _

_ This had caught Silver by surprise. Sunny usually couldn't see past the mirror she was obsessing in, and only passed her classes by flirting with the professors. She wasn't the smartest pony, and she wasn't the most perceptive either. _

_ "Oh?" Silver raised an eyebrow and leaned against the arch, folding her lip into her mouth and wincing as her split lip met her teeth. _

_ Sunny's expression had changed from a tired, annoyed expression to a pale, ghostly face. "You're here about Ms. Downy, aren't you?" she said quietly._

* * *

Sunny had stood up and trotted to her com. "I was taking an Advanced Placement Law class first semester," the white filly said, opening the home screen on her com with a tap and slide of her hoof. Silver remained in a confused silence.

"We had a project, kinda like what we're doing in Psych. It was on famous law cases in the past twenty years and I was assigned the Downy v. Cake Case," Sunny tapped furiously at the com's screen and maximized a link, selecting it and waiting for it to load. "Now, I don't know if it was coincidence or simple luck, but she was my kindergarten teacher," Sunny eyes Silver, who flattened her ears against her skull. "as she was your's," Sunny sighed and shook her head, her focus back on the screen. "I am so getting arrested," she mumbled.

Silver frowned as Sunny scrolled down the screen, and she moved next to the white filly silently. Sunny's eyes remained on the screen, and with one swift motion of her hoof, she projected the image into the air. "Downy was a Kindergarten teacher obviously. She broke the Learner's Rights Law on October 24th fifteen years ago by teaching a small class of foals about the conspiracies surrounding the Rebellion," Sunny said quickly, scrolling down the screen.

Silver remained silent, her eyes on Sunny. The white filly was no longer the over obsessed, selfish and mean pony she had grown up with. She seemed to have matured, almost, in those few moments that she had pulled up the link. It was a relief to Silver that the moral and physical struggle was over between them was over. What lingered between them was disappointment and confusion.

The Feds knew Silver was at Sunny's house. They probably had started ground-tracking her as soon as her chip was cut out.

What Silver had frowned deeper at was the fact that Sunny had begun to shake. Tears were forming in her eyes and her blue eyes were wide and panicked with each passing minute. Every word that came out of her mouth caused her eyes to overflow with tears, eventually allowing them to cascade down her pale cheeks. Sunny knew just as well as Silver; she could never go out in public after this. Sunny would forever be a traitor and forever be hunted by the state. Silver suddenly realized what she had done.

She had just ruined this pony's life.

"Now, she was stunned in class, not killed. A few days later, after her stay in county jail, she was moved to the regional penitentiary in Manehattan. She was-"

"Sunny."

Sunny stopped and took a deep, shaky breath. Tears were running down her cheeks and onto the floor. She wasn't sobbing, just shaking and standing silently. "What?" she hissed, her straight, perfect teeth clamped together.

Silver bowed her head slightly and looked Sunny straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry," Silver crooned softly, bumping her hoof against Sunny's. "I didn't think about what... this would do to you," Silver backed her ears as Sunny turned and faced her, her blue eyes boring into Silver's.

"And you couldn't have thought of that sooner?" Sunny sniffed, her miserable, morose eyes amost to much for Silver to bear. Sunny may have not been a friend, but this was cruel; too cruel. "I suppose I have to become a Troop now? Hide from everypony for the rest of my life and live in warehouses?" Sunny sighed and hung her head.

Silver reached out for Sunny as the white filly trudged slowly over to her couch, but stopped herself. "You know, Silver," she said quietly. "You have an advantage over me here. You blend in just fine, what with your gray coat and almost normal hair," Sunny chuckled sourly. "But me? I stick out like a sore hoof. I mean, come on; I have bright blond hair and a white coat. I'm not the most inconspicuous of ponies," Sunny hung her head and rubbed her eyes. "Even if I were to go into hiding, I wouldn't be hiding for long. I stick out too much."

Silver bit her lip. "I..." she trailed off and lowered her gaze. Sunny would never be able to live a normal life again after this. And it was all Silver's fault.

"If you have an idea, now would be a great time to share," Sunny whispered, leaning her head back and sighing.

"Hats?" Silver suggested weakly, sitting in the desk's chair and laughing softly, shaking her head. "I don't know, Sunny. Honestly, I didn't think this through whatsoever. I just didn't want to spend all night behind a dumpster," Silver laughed at Sunny's disgusted face that practically said: '_you spent a night in the dumpster?'_.

"You don't say," Sunny couldn't help but chuckle either. "You were always such an idiot, Silver, she said, shaking her head as well. She stood up and trotted over to Silver, a determined look on her face. "Well? I'm guessing you don't have the chip in your ear?"

Silver pulled off her hat, revealing her chopped ear. Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Well," Sunny sighed and trotted back to the bathroom, Silver close behind her. "I suppose I shouldn't either, then," Sunny leaned down and rutted through her drawers, coming up with a pair of scissors. "Man, am I stupid," Sunny mumbled as she eyes the blade for a moment.

Silver gasped, her eyes widening. "No, wait-!" she choked as Sunny raised the blade to her ear and chopped it off with a snap. Sunny choked and let out a muffled scream. With a rush, Silver shoved a hoof towel into Sunny's mouth, which Sunny promptly bit down onto and scrunched her eyes shut, moaning behind the towel.

"That was totally stupid! You could have bit your tongue off!" Silver growled, smacking her hoof over Sunny's bangs. "At least I wasn't standing up!" Silver snapped as Sunny wobbled slightly. With a shove, Silver set Sunny on the toilet seat so she wouldn't pass out.

Sunny mumbled something around the towel, and Silver took it out and raised and eyebrow. "I said; get me some gauss," Sunny snapped roughly. Silver was taken aback by her sudden harsh tone; she had been so surprisingly lighthearted for the past few minutes. Seeing her confused face, Sunny rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I just cut off my ear, idiot. Don't be so surprised if I'm a little bit unfriendly at the moment. Gauss?" Sunny demanded, holding out an expecting hoof.

* * *

**I'm going to apologize in advance; I've been really busy with work and band, so I'm not going to be uploading as much chapters as I used to. I know it's going slowly, but I've been having a serious case of writers block for the past few weeks. If you have any ideas of what you want to happen, PM me or whatever it's called. I'd love to hear your ideas! Thanks for the great feedback! (By the way, this is the first story I've ever written that is more than five chapters, so I'm slightly overwhelmed. I'm not used to committing, if you haven't noticed with Wilding and What Waits in the Shadows...)**


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